Flexible Pouches (Multilayer Packaging)

Material Composition Assumptions

The default reference product is 1 kg of multilayer flexible pouch material (with aluminum foil barrier), composed of a typical structure:

• Outer layer: Oriented polyethylene terephthalate (OPET) or oriented polypropylene (OPP) film, 12-25 microns thick. Provides printability, stiffness, and puncture resistance.
• Barrier layer: Aluminum foil, 6-12 microns thick, or metallized PET as an alternative. Provides oxygen, moisture, and light barrier for shelf-life extension.
• Sealant layer: Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) or cast polypropylene (CPP), 50-100 microns thick. Provides heat-seal capability for pouch forming.
• Adhesive layers: Solvent-based or solventless polyurethane adhesive between each layer, approximately 2-5 g/m2 per bond line.
• Printing inks: Gravure or flexographic inks (surface or reverse-printed), approximately 1-3 g/m2.

A typical multilayer pouch structure weighs 80-150 g/m2 depending on barrier requirements. For context, a standard stand-up pouch (e.g., for coffee, snacks, or pet food) weighs approximately 10-30 g per pouch.

The aluminum foil barrier layer is the single most carbon-intensive component by mass. Pouches without aluminum foil (using metallized PET or EVOH barrier instead) can have 20-30% lower emissions per kg.

Manufacturing Geography

Flexible packaging conversion is a globalized industry with significant production in both developed and developing markets:

• Film extrusion and foil rolling: Concentrated in China, India, USA, and EU. Major film producers include Amcor, Berry Global, Sealed Air, Constantia Flexibles, and Huhtamaki.
• Lamination and conversion: Performed in the same regions, typically by flexible packaging converters who laminate, print, and slit rolls for food and consumer goods customers.
• Grid intensity (China): 565 gCO2e/kWh (IEA 2024). Major global supplier of both polymer films and converted flexible packaging.
• Grid intensity (India): 708 gCO2e/kWh (Ember 2025). Growing production hub, particularly for domestic food packaging.
• Rationale: Lamination and printing are moderately energy-intensive steps involving heated rollers, drying ovens (for solvent evaporation), and curing systems. The upstream polymer resin and aluminum foil production (Scope 3) dominate the total carbon footprint.

Regional Variation

Manufacturing Region	Grid Intensity	Estimated Score (per kg)	Adjustment vs Default
China (default)	~565 gCO2e/kWh	4.2 kgCO2e	Baseline
India	~708 gCO2e/kWh	4.5 kgCO2e	+7%
USA	~390 gCO2e/kWh	3.8 kgCO2e	-10%
EU average	~300 gCO2e/kWh	3.6 kgCO2e	-14%
Japan	~460 gCO2e/kWh	4.0 kgCO2e	-5%

Note: Upstream resin and aluminum production (Scope 3) accounts for ~76% of total emissions. Grid variation affects the lamination/printing stages (Scope 2) but has limited effect on the total score.

Provenance Override Guidance

A supplier or converter may override the default CCI score by submitting:

1. Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) or Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) per ISO 14025 or ISO 14067 for the specific pouch structure.
2. Material composition data: Mono-material pouches (e.g., all-PE or all-PP) designed for recyclability may have different emission profiles. Removing the aluminum foil layer reduces emissions by 15-25%.
3. Aluminum sourcing data: Recycled aluminum foil (secondary aluminum) has approximately 80-90% lower emissions than primary aluminum.
4. Converter energy data: Solventless lamination reduces energy consumption compared to solvent-based lamination (eliminating solvent drying ovens). Water-based inks reduce VOC emissions.
5. CEFLEX design-for-recycling certification supports mono-material flexible packaging with reduced environmental impact.

Methodology Notes

• CCI score of 4.2 kgCO2e/kg represents a conservative estimate for a multilayer pouch with aluminum foil barrier. Flexible Packaging Europe reports 2.5-5.0 kgCO2e/kg depending on structure. The CCI score reflects a common PET/Al/PE structure produced in Asia.
• Scope breakdown: Scope 3 dominates at 76% (3.2 kgCO2e/kg), driven by polymer resin production and aluminum foil manufacturing. Scope 2 is 19% (0.8 kgCO2e/kg) from lamination, printing, and slitting electricity. Scope 1 is 5% (0.2 kgCO2e/kg) from on-site thermal energy and solvent combustion.
• Confidence: Low because multilayer flexible packaging structures vary enormously. The number of layers (2-7), choice of barrier material (aluminum foil, metallized PET, EVOH, SiOx), polymer types, and film thicknesses create hundreds of possible combinations. Published LCA data is limited relative to this structural diversity.
• Functional unit: 1 kg of finished multilayer flexible pouch material (PET/Al/PE structure), cradle to gate through converted and printed pouch rolls ready for filling.
• End-of-life: Multilayer flexible packaging has very low recycling rates (<5% globally) due to the difficulty of separating laminated layers. End-of-life impacts are excluded.
• Data gaps: Metallized PET barrier (as alternative to aluminum foil) has approximately 15-25% lower emissions per kg of finished structure. EVOH barrier layers add approximately 5-8 kgCO2e/kg of EVOH resin but are used in very thin layers (3-5 microns).